Unsocial (29 page)

“Then
prepare to be amazed.”

“Okay.”
She hops out and walks up to her apartment, and I watch her take every step. I
laugh to myself because there’s no way Trevor can miss the messy hair and
thoroughly kissed lips she’s wearing.

I’ll
see that motherfucker tomorrow.

I
drive back home, and when I walk in the kids and Jax are still hanging out in
the living room with the new puppy.  “You guys got a name for him yet?” I greet
them. I know Gabby should be the one naming him, but without her speaking, I
don’t know how she’ll tell us what she decides.  Cassie looks up at me and
hands me a drawing.  It’s a picture of Gabby and a puppy with the letters
T.O.B.Y.

I
look over at Gabby, “You want to name him Toby?”  She smiles and nods at me
before giving Toby a hug.  I guess it’s better than referring to him as, puppy. 
“Okay, I’m starting dinner.  Cassie, why don’t you and Gabby take Toby to the
backyard and let him get acquainted with a tree before he starts going in the
house.”

Jax
walks into the kitchen with me. “So, you ready for tomorrow?”

I
look over at him after I pull fish sticks and French fries out of the freezer.
I’ll save the hamburgers for another night.  “You bet.  Luke is too.  You
thinking of tail gaiting?”

“Abso-fucking-lutely.”

“Good,
I’ll do hot wings, you do the beer.  And don’t forget Coke for Luke.”

“On
it, man.”

“You
staying for dinner, its fish sticks?”

He
screws his face up, “Uh, that’s a hell no.  I’m out, but I’ll be here about nine.
Then we can pick up Trevor.”
Oh, fucking joy.

“Sounds
good, we’ll be ready.”

After
dinner and more play time with Toby, I finally tuck Gabby in with her new
friend. She hasn’t stopped smiling since we’ve been home. Everyone was in a
good mood tonight.

The
next morning Luke and I are up and ready for football.  Jax arrives, and we
pack up his truck with a grill and the chicken wings I marinated overnight.  I
discovered the recipe in the cookbook Brooke bought me.  After picking up
Trevor from Brooke’s apartment, we head to Arrowhead Stadium.  Excitement is high,
and conversation is flowing about everything football.  So far not one mention
of Brooke from fuck face, which is unfair of me to think because he’s been
nothing but cool.  But since it’s football day in America, and the Chiefs are
playing the Lions, I’m not going to kick his face in today.

After
pulling in we set up the grill first thing so I can get the wings on.  Luke is
passing out beer, and I do have to stop him from popping the top off of one for
himself. Girls are in abundance, and all of us are eating up the attention. 
Hey, we’re four good looking guys, it’s going to happen.  They even come with
phone numbers.  I slip mine to Trevor, which I notice he happily accepts.  I
smile,
I guess he didn’t get what he wanted from Brooke last night.

While
we’re feasting on wings and drinking beer, the topic of Brooke finally comes
up, and wouldn’t you know it’s from my
brother
.  “Hey, Dylan, check out
that chick over there.  She looks just like Brooke.”  Of course my head swivels
around so fast I think I pull off a stunt straight from
The
Exorcist
. 
Way to be subtle, man.

“Nah,
that’s not her,” Trevor informs us. “Brooke’s ass looks way better than that.”

Now
my head snaps back the other way so I can glare him down. “Watch what the fuck
you say about her.” Then I jerk my head toward Luke. I’m hoping they think I’m
acting like an asshole because I don’t want him talking about her like that in
front of Luke, you know, because she’s his social worker.

“Oh,
yeah.  Sorry about that. But I know it can’t be her because she’s going to
watch the game at a friend’s house that we ran into last night when we went out
to dinner.” I grit my teeth when he reminds me he was with her last night.

I
don’t miss the look Jax shoots me. I start gathering up trash and empties to
toss so we can head into the stadium. With any luck, this conversation is
over.  After everything is secured, we check for tickets and head inside.  Jax
goes for beer, and the rest of us find our seats, and we are not disappointed
in location.  Jax finds us, and we settle in for a Sunday of football.  The day
ends on a sweet note when Kansas City beats Detroit in a high scoring game. Afterward,
we head to the nearest Hooters for food before dropping Trevor off and going
home.

As
much as I would love to hate Brooke’s temporary houseguest, it’s hard.  I can see
why Jax has been hanging around him.  He’s funny as hell and a lot of fun.  He
also fit right in with us.

All
his good traits and his history with Brooke give me a moment of worry, but I’m
not stopping my game plan. I’m still going to get Brooke for a night, maybe
two, and good-ole-boy Trevor needs to step the fuck aside.

And
I need to step up my own gam
e.

Brooke

I
ring the doorbell again and wait for someone to answer.  I can hear the kids in
the backyard playing with the new puppy, and I’m debating whether just to walk
around and let someone know I’m here.  I’m just deciding to do that when I hear
Dylan’s car pull in the drive.  I watch him walk toward the house, and I swear
I stop breathing.  Every time I see him, my body reacts in ways that have never
happened to me before.

Of
course,
I’ve felt attraction to my previous boyfriends, but neither one caused me to lose
my breath or caused the rest of the world to disappear.  I’ve never spent hours
of my day wondering what they may be doing or if they’re having a good day. 
I’ve never hoped before that they may be thinking about me as much as I’m
thinking about them.  I’ve never had to fight the urge to call just to hear
their voice. Only thoughts of Dylan and the way he kisses me or touches me can
arouse me to the point of seeking him out to experience more.

I
want Dylan Monroe more than I’ve wanted any man I’ve ever seen, and he’s
completely off limits.  My thoughts are torture.  Seeing him is torture. But I
must be a masochist because I can’t stop.  I don’t want to stop.  Every single
day it’s getting harder not to call, stay away, or simply give in to what I
crave, to what we both so obviously crave.  So here I am with clothes in hand
ready to spend the evening with the Monroes just like one big happy family, but
in this case, it’s wrong, forbidden, unethical, and unprofessional. 
It’s
heartbreaking
.

I
take in his gorgeous face and don’t miss how happy he seems.  I can’t help but
hope it’s for me, but that’s crazy.  “You look happy,” I greet him.

When
he reaches me, he slips his arms around my waist and plants a quick, loud kiss
on my lips.  “I’m always happy to see you.” His voice is a sexy purr that my
body reacts to in all the appropriate places. My nipples harden, and all points
south clench in anticipation.  He releases me and opens the door, and I have to
take a moment to regain my equilibrium.  I always feel off balance around him. 
“Why didn’t you just go on in?” He asks.

“Um,
not my house,” I answer.

He
looks at me like I’m crazy. “Whatever, Brooke.  Everyone’s expecting you, so
just come in.  Find the kids, and you guys can play with Toby for a while.  I
need to do some stuff in the kitchen.”

“Wait. 
I need to change first.” I say holding up my bag.

“Not
a problem.  Follow me.”  He leads me to his room and puts my bag on his bed
then turns to me grabbing my hand to pull me close to his body.  With his other
hand, he threads his fingers through my hair.  “You know how many times I’ve
pictured you in here.  But all those were me helping you undress.”  He kisses
me again, slowly and deeply, then lifts his head. “Someday, Brooke.” He backs
up and swats me on the butt before turning and heading toward the door like he
didn’t just knock me off kilter even more.  “Hurry up and head to the
backyard.”

I
sit on the bed for a moment and wonder why in the hell I don’t stop him when he
does things like that.  We both know this is an impossible attraction we are
dancing around.  It just seems like we both ignore it.  I know I should push
him away when he grabs me or kisses me.  I know I should tell him to stop
talking like we are going to be a foregone conclusion, but I don’t, and that
scares me.  I get up and do a quick change job before heading out into the
backyard to find the kids and Toby.  I don’t need a jacket, although it’s
November in Kansas, it’s almost 70 degrees outside.

Today
I’ve brought my camera so I can get some pictures of them. No one notices me
for several minutes, and I snap away capturing each one of them chasing the
dog, running from the dog, and rolling in the thick grass. Even Luke is having
a good time trying to teach him to fetch.  Michael finally notices me and calls
me over.  When I reach them, I place my camera on a nearby lounge chair. Then
it’s my turn with Toby.  He’s an excited puppy.  I kneel on the grass next to
Luke, and he and I take both try our hand at fetch with a tennis ball. Gabby
sits close to me, placing her hand on my leg, and laughs at our attempts to get
Toby to return the ball.

After
about an hour and a half of playing, Dylan finally steps out and calls for
Cassie and Michael to set the table.  The rest of us follow, and I have to
admit that I’m curious about what Dylan prepared.  After washing up we gather
around the table as Dylan starts bringing in dish after dish of food, and color
me crazy happy when he brings in a rack of lamb.  The crazy man cooked a rack
of lamb.

“This
is wonderful, Dylan.  I can’t believe you did all this.” I praise him.

“I
told you to prepare to be amazed,” He smirks.

“Well,
I am.” I smile at him.  I take a bite and moan.  It’s delicious, so I tell him
so.  I notice he has a fork full of food that hasn’t made it to his mouth.  I
think my moan did it because it was rather loud.  I smile to myself knowing
that I got him a little worked up so easily.  “And to show my appreciation
Michael and I are going to work on his spelling bee while we do the dishes.” I
smile over at Michael, and he raises his hand for a fist bump.

“You
don’t have to do dishes.  Besides its Cassie and Gabby’s night.”

“It’s
okay, Dylan.  Luke and I will trade so I can study with Brooke.”

Dylan
looks at me, “Are you sure?”

“It’ll
be fine.  I’ve found a whole list of words most asked in spelling bees for his
age group.  It’ll be a good time to get started.  I thought we have a couple of
weeks to get through them, so if we put in….” I get interrupted by my pager
going off.  The only calls I get through my pager are emergency numbers from
the office and clients.  “Excuse me, guys.  I need to get that.”  I get up from
the table and find my purse in the living room.  The call is from Janice, so I
grab my cell and call her back.

“Brooke,
I hate to call you and ruin your evening, but I need you to go to the Renner
place.  He apparently got drunk and locked all the kids out of the house. 
You’re going to have to get them and find placement for a while.”

Mr.
Renner is an alcoholic widower with five children.  This isn’t the first time
the kids had to be placed because of his dangerous behavior when he gets drunk,
but for some reason, he always gets them returned to him after he shows a few
weeks of sobriety.  Since I inherited his case when I started with Social
Services, he has made it no secret he does not like me.  In fact, he scares me
a little with his unveiled threats.  I’ve had to intervene on one other
occasion, luckily Dylan showed up at the office that day.

I
go back to the table.  “I’m sorry, guys, but I have to go.  I have an emergency
I have to take care of for work.  Michael, I’ll leave the list for you so you
can start looking them over, and then we’ll get together for a little while
each day to go over them.”

Dylan
stands and walks to me.  “Is everything okay?”

“I
honestly don’t know what I’m walking into until I get there. It’s the same man
that was in the office the day you showed up about taking Cassie shopping.”

His
jaw tightens.  “Are you going by yourself? I don’t want you going there alone. 
I didn’t like how that asshole got so close to you, and I know you were trying
to be tough, but he seemed dangerous, Brooke.”

“Dylan,
it’s my job.  I have to get his kids and find somewhere for them to stay.  The
police are there now so I won’t be there alone.”  I grab up my bag and head for
the door and turn back.

“Thank
you for dinner. Hopefully next time it won’t be interrupted.”

He
follows me onto the porch and grabs my elbow.  “Call me when you get home,
please.  I’ll worry about you.”

“I
will, but it may be late,” I promise.

“Don’t
care.  Just call and let me know you’re okay.”

“Okay,
good night.”  He watches me as I leave, and I’m pissed that this evening was
cut so short.

The
next few days are busy with making sure the Renner kids have all settled. 
After arriving at their house, I had to pack for them and take them to the emergency
room so they could all be checked over.  Hours later I was lucky enough to get
them placed in a temporary foster home until things are worked out in the
courts to decide their fate based on what happens with their father. I hadn’t
gotten home until the early hours in the morning, but I remembered to text
Dylan to let him know everything was okay. I’ve been meeting with Michael an
hour after school each day at his school library to help him with his spelling
bee which is coming up quickly.  Truthfully he is a very bright boy, and his
ability to spell these words is astounding.  I don’t think he’s going to have
too much trouble at all.  On top of all this, I still have plenty of other
clients to see as well.

By
Friday I’m exhausted.  When I enter the apartment, the first thing I see is
Trevor. He has his guitar and looks deep in thought. His shirt is off, but at
least, he is wearing jeans. He grins over at me from the couch, and I sit down
next to him, "New song?"

"Yep."

I
don't ask if I can hear it; I know better. He puts the guitar down, "How
was your day?"

I
shrug, "It was okay. Long, but not terrible."

“That’s
good.”

“So
where is Alex?” It’s been tense and awkward around here lately, and I’m
beginning to hate it.  I know she was pissed about Halloween, but I’m ready to
move past it.  I don’t understand why she can’t trust me.  Okay, that’s a lie. 
The attraction between Dylan and me is hard to deny or ignore, but she has to
know that I won’t act on it.
I hope.

“Gym.”

“Ah,
anything to avoid me right?”

He
laughs, “You two will figure this shit out. Remember your junior year in high
school when you two didn’t talk for three weeks?”

I
nod, that was a terrible time. And I don’t even remember what the fight was
about exactly. Alex and I are like sisters and when we fight we really fight.
“Yeah, I do, and it sucked.”

He
laughs, “But you guys figured it out. She’s just worried about you, you know?”

I
roll my eyes, “I’m a grown woman.”

He
scans my body with his eyes and then smiles, “Believe me, Brooke, I know.”

I
slap his bare shoulder, “Do you ever wear a shirt?”

He
flexes his bicep, “Why the hell would I do that, with these guns?  Don’t tell
me they’re turning you on,” he teases waggling his eyebrows.

Again
I roll my eyes. Trevor has a nice body, but my mind drifts to Dylan’s “guns,”
and I can’t help but laugh because Trevor’s don’t even come close. He’s been
overly flirty with me lately, but I’m sure it’s just Trevor being Trevor. There
is nothing between us. I tease him like always, “Woah, put those away!”

He
puts his arm down and then his look turns semi-serious. “Brooke, are you sure
that Alex has no reason to be worried?”

I
groan, “Yes I’m sure. Dylan doesn’t do relationships, and I don’t do one-night
stands.”

He
laughs, “Why not? You did with me.”

Oh
my God, is he actually bringing that up?
That is something I
want to keep in the past, and I thought he did too. “Seriously? That was just a
stupid mistake when we were kids. That was the one and only time I’ve ever done
that.”

He
looks slightly hurt, I think. “Well, you were the one that wanted to keep it a
one-time thing if I recall.”

I
look over at him trying to decide if he is kidding. The problem with Trevor is
that he’s rarely serious. Therefore, it’s so damn hard to tell with him.  “No,
we both decided never to do it again.”

He
scoffs, “Yeah because you were in high school and fucking jailbait. But after
you turned 18, I was hoping for the occasional fling when I was home.  It’s
just that you latched onto that little shit you met in college. He touches my
thigh slightly, “Hell. Brooke, anytime you want to, we can have as many repeats
as you want.” 

I’m
shocked, and I don’t think he is kidding right now. I need to shut this down,
now. “You’re crazy. Have you been drinking?”

He
moves his hand and laughs; maybe he is just messing with me. “No, I’m serious.
I mean, I don’t remember much about that night, but I wouldn’t mind a
refresher.”

I
stand up because he’s obviously lost his mind. “Not happening. You and Alex are
the closest thing I have to family, and there is no way I am ruining that.” I
start to head to my bedroom and then turn back around and look at him, and then
I remind him, “Besides, you are a married man.”  There is no hint of teasing in
my tone, but he only laughs.

“The
divorce is as good as final.  I’m waiting to sign the papers any day. What will
your excuse be then?”

“No
excuses, Trevor. There won’t be a repeat, ever.”  I close myself in the safety
of my room, and then sit on the bed a moment to get my head straight. How the
hell did my life get so confusing?